Spectacular Guanyin Gorge in Yunnan

2014-07-15
Young
Sights
Yunnan
1083

The famous Guanyin Gorge scenic spot is located 17 kilometers away from the southeast of Qihe Township in Lijiang in southwest China's Yunnan Province. It's one comprehensive scenic area that has gathered together natural landscape like the mountains and waters, blue-water lake, deep gorge, spectacular waterfall and thick forest and unique human landscape like Naxi village, simple and honorable folk custom character and many famous historical spots merging into one organic whole.

The beautiful scenic spot could really display a harmonious coexistence picture of the simple and unsophisticated sentiment of man and nature. The place is so charming as to be praised as the first scene in Lijiang that is a state level historical and cultural city. The famous scenic sights within Guanyin Gorge are harmonious combinations of Yellow Dragon Pool and Guanyin Gorge that complement and set each other off.

The first thing you saw when you entered into the scenic spot is the Ancient Tea-Horse Road that is considered as the entrance. The famed "Tea and Horse Old Way" in history refers to the folk international commercial trading road where the main means of transportation is the caravan in China's southwestern region. On both banks of Guanyin Gorge, there are many perpendicular cliffs, especially imposing and magnificent during the rainy seasons.

The fall of the famous Guanyin waterfall within the gorge here is 40 meters. The double rainbow gleamed with a smart and evasive light in the middle of the day, extremely fascinating. Lijiang from time immemorial was considered as the "Tea and Horse of strategic importance" and was called the dangerous pass of the Ancient Tea-Horse Road by the caravans marching northward.

When the well-known Ming Dynasty Chinese geographer and traveller Xu Xiake once came to Guanyin Gorge for travelling, and had left his poems and inscriptions in its praise in it. These green trees had added more and more lush tinge to the Xiake Pavilion where Xu Xiake had stayed overnight in those days. Fresh green was spattered with dark jade-green. Everywhere was the scent of ripeness.

The drooping willows whose shadows were reflected on a calm and clear pool of water were waving gently in the breeze. The sky above and watery blue reaching far beyond the horizon was one azure expanse dotted here and here. The Yunnan-Tibet teahouse in unique and antique style was located in the green bamboo and green willows, which stood out clearly against the still water of the lake. The mountain wind brings joy to one's soul and refreshes the mind.

High peaks are standing at intervals along the gorge. It may be said that from the side, a whole range; from the end, a single peak; far, near, high, low - no two parts alike. In face of extraordinary workmanship of nature, the breathtaking beauty of natural sights within the Guanyin Gorge had won people's great admiration. This huge picturesque gorge is extremely clear and just like nature itself. Because of the sites in all their varied shapes and sizes, they had great aesthetic value as well.